Yammie GS.....is it for you???

[Whip]

 

 

http://www.yamaha-motor.co.uk/products/motorcycles/adventure/xt1200z-super-tenere.jsp#

 

 

[4wheeldog]

I would consider buying one.......I am in the market for a used R1150GSA, but I would prefer a Japanese brand......More for the money, less arrogant attitude.

[rad]

Shaft drive

Tubless tires W/spoke wheels

ABS

Twin

 

Wow! What is not to like?

 

Ok, 574lbs, not a real light weight

[TEWKS]

Wow!! Nice!!

 

 

Pat

[ShovelStrokeEd]

They used to make something like this with an 850 twin in place. It was ignored in the showrooms and they pulled it from the American market. Never understood why. Maybe with the bigger motor it will sell. It competes against a lot more bikes now but there are more folks interested in big, heavy adventure style bikes now. It certainly looks the part and there are more Yamaha dealers out there than BMW dealers.

[Paul Mihalka]

Well, 1200cc, shaft drive, wire wheels for tubeless tires, 6 gal. of gas (nice), dedicated saddle bags.

Looks like if BMW wants to have a slice of the supersport pie, Yamaha wants to have a slice of the GS pie.

[rad]

Well, 1200cc, shaft drive, wire wheels for tubeless tires, 6 gal. of gas (nice), dedicated saddle bags.

Looks like if BMW wants to have a slice of the supersport pie, Yamaha wants to have a slice of the GS pie.

 

Yup

 

In my town the BMW dealer is also the Yamaha dealer. This should be fun!

[johnlt]

It looks awful tempting Larry. I may have to try one. I wonder what the "apples to apples" weight comparison with the GSA looks like.

[AZKomet]

Now I like that!!! It is easier on the eyes than my GSA for sure.....Wonder what it's like on the trails?

 

One thing's for sure they got smart and didn't put those stupid looking mickey mouse mirrors on it!

[rad]

Now I like that!!! It is easier on the eyes than my GSA for sure.....Wonder what it's like on the trails?

 

At almost 600lbs, it is a fire road type bike, just like the GS. And like the GS, no 21" front wheel. For what is intended to do, it should be a lot of fun.

[BFish]

like it...rather it be chain drive...reminds me of GS/weestrom crossbreed. any idea on $$$'s?

[4wheeldog]

It looks awful tempting Larry. I may have to try one. I wonder what the "apples to apples" weight comparison with the GSA looks like.

 

Unfortunately, there is no indication that we will get the chance to try one.......This is a eurospec bike at this point, and the Japanese have been very circumspect about bringing bikes of this ilk to the U.S. market. I hope they do.......Too bad if they don't.

[Francois_Dumas]

http://www.dualsportafrica.com/xt1200ztenere.htm

 

Seems to be costing the same as the 1200 GS here (around US$ 17.000)....

[rad]

It looks awful tempting Larry. I may have to try one. I wonder what the "apples to apples" weight comparison with the GSA looks like.

 

Unfortunately, there is no indication that we will get the chance to try one.......This is a eurospec bike at this point, and the Japanese have been very circumspect about bringing bikes of this ilk to the U.S. market. I hope they do.......Too bad if they don't.

 

Yamaha already told their dealers, no new models coming into the US for 2010.

[Francois_Dumas]

Well, there's a simple solution to that: come on over and ride 'em here !

[TEWKS]

Why not reinstate the old FJR pre-order program? Worked pretty well for that bike.

 

 

 

Pat

[outpost22]

Looks wise, it looks fine. I don't like low front fenders for any kind of off road stuff, but doubt this bike will see much of that. Also, I would like a 21" front wheel for difficult terrain, but then again nobody would want to try to pick this thing up once it fell over in the difficult stuff.

 

Bike for bike, Yamaha is a good value...usually. I still think the F800GS is a better option at this point for a bigger "dual sport"...if it had a larger fuel cell, or a 990 KTM.

[eakins]

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=309776&page=69

pics starting here on.

 

[Exploreinman]

She's a beaut!!! Now we just need Aeroflow to design a great windshield for gettin on down the highway!

[Joel]

I'd like a look and a ride.

 

Now there can even more bling that Touratech can have on backorder.

[bayoubengal]

I like it and I'm a dirt biker also. If they want to sell me one they will do what BMW will not - offer a cruise control...

[lvnvbiker]

Me rikey!! Arot!

[wbrissette]

I like it, but if it cost the same or nearly the same as the GS, I doubt I would go for it. There are other options out there like the Guzzi Stelvio that seem like a better deal for the money. Plus they haven't ever committed themselves to the US market, which is understandable, nearly all of the Japanese companies have taken a defensive stance during this recession. For whatever reason, only the European companies have seemed to really try to broaden their product offerings worldwide. Maybe the US is still considered too much of a cruiser market to sell something like this in. Who knows.

[Lineareagle]

goes on sale early March - though prices are yet to be announced. Advance bookings will be taken through a website starting within a few weeks.

 

This looks like a strong competitor for BMW - it's more offroad oriented than the Multistrada, Tiger or V-Strom and Yamaha is clearly keen to capitalise on the recent woes BMW are rumoured to have been suffering in the reliability stakes. If it handles as well as the Beemer and does as good a job across a range of surfaces, it'll be a beauty - and it's likely to be price-competitive.

 

To late I've spent all my $$ on my GSA

 

[upflying]

Cute, but all the enthusiam shown here usually falls short when it comes time to put your money out at your local Yamaha dealer.

With motorccycles sales near brain dead in the USA, it may bea few years before it is sold here.

The HD XR1200 was a Europe only Harley until enthusiastic Americans convinced HD to sell it here. How many have you seen on the road? I have not seen any.

 

[Deadboy]

I had a chance to hang out with a guy who is pretty high up at Yamaha last night and he assured me this bike simply isn't coming to the U.S. given the current economic situation. He said even the FJR is still considered an open question internally as to how much of a success it really was....demand was high at first but has tapered off after the initial rush, and that was introduced during far better economic times.

[Whip]

I had a chance to hang out with a guy who is pretty high up at Yamaha last night and he assured me this bike simply isn't coming to the U.S. given the current economic situation. He said even the FJR is still considered an open question internally as to how much of a success it really was....demand was high at first but has tapered off after the initial rush, and that was introduced during far better economic times.

 

I don't know about that FJR stuff...last time I saw figures (prolly 2008) Yamaha was selling about 10,000 FJRs a year in the US. BMW was selling about 13,000 total units....with out really changing it much for many years. I bet their pretty proud of the profit to loss ratio on that bike.

 

 

I would have to bet against your Yammie man...the new yammie is prolly gonna be here in late 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Deadboy]

My yammie man ain't some sales guy or mechanic, more like a vp....I would say he has a very good idea of the internal debates and decision making process within the company.

 

According to the 2008 sales #'s (I happen to have them here) Yamaha sold nearly 168,000 new motorcycles in 2008 (75% of which were street bikes) in the U.S. so the FJR sales (if they were indeed 10,000 units) weren't exactly a big % of the over all total.

[TEWKS]

If you get a chance to talk with your VP guy again, could ya ask if a similar (PDP) program they had with the FJR is going to be considered. I'd be satisfied with that. I'd hate to see Yamaha become another Honda in the motorcycle industry, irrelevant!

Sometimes the bottom line number needs to be overlooked to build interest & excitement with a brand.

And no, I don't own a business but, I do own two Yamaha's.

 

 

 

Pat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Quinn]

Can anyone explain to me about a 270 degree crank vs 360 degree? Looks like it would just add vibration and make it harder to idle (thinking Harley Davidsons). Having the cylinders fire closer together is followed by a longer exhaust time before firing again; so I just don't see a gain. Yet, it's a very popular configuration so there must be something to it.

 

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[Whip]

My yammie man ain't some sales guy or mechanic, more like a vp....I would say he has a very good idea of the internal debates and decision making process within the company.

 

According to the 2008 sales #'s (I happen to have them here) Yamaha sold nearly 168,000 new motorcycles in 2008 (75% of which were street bikes) in the U.S. so the FJR sales (if they were indeed 10,000 units) weren't exactly a big % of the over all total.

 

75% 0f 168 is 126,000

 

10,000 is 8% of 126...(add in an additional 25% and we get 12,500 FJRs sold in the world by Yamaha...I think my number is low BTW.)

 

They have somewhere between 17 and 21 different street bikes for sale in the US.

 

All that and you have to pre-order em???????????????????

 

....the numbers now speak for themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Deadboy]

You haven't had to pre-order them since 2002, and I think 10K sold in 2008 (in the U.S.) is a high # actually. The real issue is unlike a number of the other models there are basically no common parts between the FJR and other models sold, so everything represents a new part/cost/complication in the supply chain.

 

Not sure where you get the 12.5K sold worldwide, their sales in general are much higher in Europe (over 200,000 bikes sold in 2008) so I would expect FJR sales are also higher (not sure).

 

As for the pre-order idea I mentioned that and he said the cost issue is no better, as the real risk on a new model is ensuring compliance with the various regulations (DOT, EPA, CARB) and those costs don't change if you sell 100 or 100,000 so you have to calculate very carefully what you think you can sell and (once again) given the current market conditions it seems very unlikely.

 

Don't get me wrong I think it looks like a cool bike, just don't expect to to be here anytime soon......

[Whip]

Interesting......

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

L

[TEWKS]

Well, if we can't have the bike, how about some music & a picture show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Again, thanks ADV guys!

 

 

 

Pat

 

 

[TEWKS]

I took these pics a while back on Whiteface Mountain in NY. I was quite impressed.

 

 

 

 

Pat

[Francois_Dumas]

Hmmmm... looking at that audience there needs to be a 'lowered' version of it. Is there ?

 

Hey guys... just send me the money and I'll buy you one here. I'll even test and store it for you

[RTRay]

Looks great! Is it available in the US? If so, any idea when they will be available? TS

[outpost22]

Great pics. It looks reasonably well thought out. Did I spy an actual oil drain plug in the final drive? You mean it's not "lifetime" oil? Who'd of thought?

[Matts_12GS]

I like it, but I wonder how difficult it will be to get that rear wheel off to change tires.

[gottago]

Nice looking bike. Jason, our son has a older version of this and seems to like it pretty much. Lot more dependable than his Aprilla.

[Lone_RT_rider]

I like it, but I wonder how difficult it will be to get that rear wheel off to change tires.

 

Yeah, that's about the ONLY thing I can find that I may not like about the bike. Everything else just speaks to me. Very cool!

[yabadabapal]

Can someone please explain to me the spoked wheels and also the tubeless tire. What about punctures etc. Thanks you geniuses!

Oh, for the record, I think it looks beautiful. Love it.

Why does Europe get it and we don't. That sucks.

[japachap]

Shame about the reduced capacity of the left pannier. When will manufacturers realise that good luggage needs to be a regular shape? The Track Diesel bike with its aftermarket panniers is much better in this respect.

 

Tubeless spoked wheels- the spokes go through the edge of the rim, not the middle- go look at a GSA with spoked wheels, you'll get the idea.

 

Wheel removal- easy as pie- Same system as my old XJ900F by the looks of it. Remove axle- swing brake caliper carrier up and out the way- displace wheel to the right to disengage the hub from splines onn the bevel gear assembly- remove wheel to rear. Theres likely damping rubbers between the hub and drive gear. Two bearings in the hub, probably one big one in the bevel assembly. Simple, effective.

 

Nice pics...

[dhanson]

My Tiger is considered a lightweight, but with touring trim, bags, tank of gas, crashbars, adjustable screen. About 570lbs. Yamaha is not that heavy considering it is loaded.

 

My first Yamaha is the little WR250R (bought used) and it is an impressive bike. Sure the big 1200 will be a hit, with nearly 100 ft/lbs of torque, but I am not in the market for one even if it came here, and for sure not if it costs as much as a GS.

[VinnyR11]

Can anyone explain to me about a 270 degree crank vs 360 degree? Looks like it would just add vibration and make it harder to idle (thinking Harley Davidsons). Having the cylinders fire closer together is followed by a longer exhaust time before firing again; so I just don't see a gain. Yet, it's a very popular configuration so there must be something to it.

 

I believe a 270 will idle with less vibration not more. A 360 crank is pretty much the same as a single cylinder bike, very lumpy. The 270 will spread the cycles across a wider range. I think reduced vibration (and to some ears, better sound) is one of the main reasons to go to a 270.

 

The 270 is also supposed to give the engine better torque, primarily in the low end, which is great for this type of bike. One reason is that both pistons are never in a "transition state" (my term) together (TDC, or at the bottom of their stroke). It kind of makes sense to me, but I don't know enough to figure out whether or not this is true.

[TEWKS]

A little

about the bike.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pat

[Spartan]

Is that a bolt-on rear sub frame I see? Not good for loading with panniers or top case.

[tallman]

No.

And if someone does give me one, I'll sell it cheap.

[Whip]

$13,900

 

 

http://www.americanmotorcyclist.com/news/story.asp?id=2230

 

 

[TEWKS]

Oh boy!

 

 

 

 

Pat